Hydraulic motors or devices may be mechanical actuators that convert hydraulic pressure and flow into some sort of displacement. Thus, a hydraulic device may utilize hydraulic pressure, which may be generated by the flow of hydraulic fluid, to create a structural or mechanical displacement that may be used to move one or more components of a mechanical system. In the context of vehicles, and more specifically, aircraft, such hydraulic devices may potentially be utilized to move various parts of the vehicle, which may be an aircraft. However, conventional rotary hydraulic devices remain limited because they may be heavy and over-burdensome due to their design constraints, and they may be prone to large internal leakages which make them unsuitable for high pressure operation, as may be encountered in the aerospace industry.
For example, conventional hydraulic devices may include linear hydraulic cylinders which require the use of additional mechanical apparatus, such as rack and pinion gearing mechanisms, to convert linear motion produced by the linear hydraulic cylinder into rotational motion, as may be used in particular applications within the context of a vehicle such as an aerospace vehicle. The inclusion of such additional mechanical apparatus may result in the hydraulic device being relatively large, heavy, and not well-suited for aerospace applications due to the additional weight and space taken by the linear hydraulic cylinder and its associated gearing mechanisms.
Other conventional hydraulic devices may utilize vanes to convert hydraulic pressure to motion. However, such conventional hydraulic devices often utilize flat housings and flat seals which are structurally less efficient, and consequently more prone to deflections of components and unacceptable internal leakages. For example, components such as the vanes themselves may bend and deflect resulting in poor sealing and large internal leakages. Consequently, such conventional hydraulic devices are unsuitable for use in aerospace applications such as high pressure operation conditions which may be in excess of 3000 psi.